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The Mage - A Standard Guide
The Mage - A Standard Guide I know, I know. You've probably seen hundreds, maybe thousands of guides linked to Mages, but this one is just one I decided to add to the Wartune Wiki because I feel that new players deserve a bit of an outline on what it is they're really about to encounter. (Also I was bored, and found this.) Edit: This guide is lacking in detail and could even hamper the progress of low level mages. All further edits should be marked as such. -TreacleTarts (GameBox S4) Understanding the Mage: Mages are just one of the three classes players will be able to select from when they start playing. They are magic users, and so rely mainly on MATK (Magic attack). Unlike Knights and Archers, Mages carry healing capabilities at an early stage of the game, allowing them to heal themselves and/or their team mates when doing a multiplayer dungeon. Their magic using ability also allows them to cause a large amount of damage upon multilple targets as well as single targets when in battle, making them a dangerous opponent to fight against! As a Mage, you should focus on MATK (Magic attack) and MDEF (Magic defense). Note: MATK should always remain as your highest stat among others, closely followed by MDEF. You then want to focus on minor things, such as HP (Health points) and PDEF (Physical defense) in order to be able to compete with Knights and Archers, who both deal physical damage. I mean, let's face it, if you don't have a high PDEF then when it comes to fighting Knights and Archers, they'll wipe you out with a single shot, even if you do deal a significant amount of damage towards them. If you are stuck or confused on how to increase these stats, let me list the ways in which you can do so. Guild Skills: Once you join a Guild (This is unlocked at level 13) you may begin contributing towards the guild itself. Let's face it, you do owe it something for letting you in. It's like renting a house. Got to pay the landlord. Also, nowdays, Guild Masters do kick members based on their contribution as well as activity so it's important to put in a daily amount. Anyway, enough of that mumbo jumbo. Back to the Guild Skills thing. Yes, anyway by contributing to the lovely, lovely Guild, you can then invest in upgrading your Guild Skills via the Skill Tower. As a Mage, you'll want to focus on upgrading all of the skills, apart from Power, which you don't need to focus on as much. Edit: Once your skills reach level 3, their cost will rise by 1000 contribution with each progressive level. Most newbies upgrade each skill at the same pace, since they often go by least cost. This it not the way to go about it. As a fledgling mage, it is probably best to upgrade Intellect before anything else, followed by Endurance. The reason for this is that mages possess Suntoria (the effects of which are calculated based on HP), and in higher level BGs and Group Arena Suntoria is vital. It is also generally held that Endurance is better than Armor. This however, does not mean you should ignore it. Keep Armor two levels behind Intellect. Charm should not be ignored either- in battles between players of near equal BR, it gives a slight edge. As for Power, you may upgrade it when the costs are small, but leave it alone once you reach level 3. It will be the last skill you max out. The Gold Production is also a trap you should not fall into. Although it costs the least, the total gold required to max out the Gold Production skill takes a very long time to see profit; that is, even with a 10% boost, it might take months for you to earn it back. Level it up when you make at least 30k gold per hour, discounting Wilds. Socket Gems This is a MUST. When you get the ability to begin socketing gems, just go crazy! You can also upgrade them in order to increase your stats and BR that much more! Hooray! Edit: Bravado is great and all, but Socketing Rods cost money, and most players are not cashers. Try your best to save your socketing rods unless you plan to stay at a certain level for a long time. What you choose to socket is up to you, but it is smart to prioritize MATK. HP should be the next gem you socket, as the boosts from HP gems are many times better than Astrals. Follow it up with PDEF to make up for your natural weakness, and later MDEF. MDEF is often the decision-maker in battles between mages of near equal strength. Enchanting Simple. Just enchant your equipment to its maximum limit. Edit: As your equipment level rises, the enchanting costs can rise to as much as several hundred thousand. To save a little money, you may want to omit using Luck Stones until your success chance falls below 80%. 80-90% is a rather safe area, so there is little need to synthesize level 9 Luck Stones, unless the cost of enchanting reaches a ludicrous point. Refining As a Mage, you'll need to attempt to refine your gear to the following stats, listed by priority: (most important) Intellect, Armor, MATK, PDEF, MDEF, Endurance, Crit, Charisma, Block, HP (least important) Edit: Refining consumes Refinement Crystals. You can get Refinement Crystals by recycling old/found gear. Each time you refine, you basically re-roll stat bonuses for your equipment. This means you may lose beneficial bonuses. You can avoid this by using Refinement Locks, which are given to you en masse in Jewel Hunt. Thus, it is best not to refine until you reach level 45. Following this logic, sell equipment that gives you Level 1 Refinement Crystals (used to refine <30 level equipment), but recycle ones that give higher levels. The reason HP is the last on this last after having stressed its importance is that HP bonuses from equipment are relatively small. Increasing your Battle Rating: Otherwise known as BR, your Battle Rating is a rough indication of your power. Just because someone has a higher BR than you, doesn't mean to say they are stronger. Like I said, it's a rough indication. Now, I know that for some players, it's so tempting to just rush to Level 40 just so you can see that mount of yours. Look at this message: DON'T. Resist the temptations. Believe me, when I was a less experienced player and I was on my first account, I saw this guy on a mount and thought: 'I WANT THAT THING!' I rushed to Level 40 and ignored my BR. So by the time I got to level 40, and I was ready to progress further, I began to experience a rough time. When I entered dungeons, people would dismiss me due to my 'Low BR'. (I had about 9205 for my BR. Some of those guys had 17693 or something like that for their BR. See the difference?) So, eventually I paid the price for my carelessness. Don't do what I did. Okay? If you're an experienced player, and you know the game. (Or are a mindreader, and can predict what the game will do next) then you should be able to plan ahead while doing fast-levelling. I'm able to do that now, and after using and abandoning several accounts created. You can pretty much increse your BR by following the guide and list above. Edit: I personally agree with the above, but wish to present an alternative. When you reach level 45, the aforementioned daily Jewel Hunt opens up. Jewel Hunt was created to aid high level players, particularly those who could not do The Forgotten Catacombs (since they are avoiding Exp). It is arguably the most important daily you have, as it gives out Mount Whips, Fate Stones, Runestones, and many, many Gems. Provided you have a supportive guild who can help you through MPDs and Group Arena, perhaps you may want to camp at level 45-46 instead of <40. _______ EDIT: OK, the last two editors say that mages shouldn't gain levels before gaining BR, but they don't say why. So, why? Is it simply because when people look at a L55 they expect a certain BR? That doesn't seem like a reason for camping at lower levels. _______ Edit: Don't do the same for sylphs. I did it and in the end I was level 50 with around 20000 BR and no sylph. Now I am level 61, with 4 sylphs but weak for my level, people around me have double BR but luckily they don't kick me from the party. Astrals: You heard me. They also play a significant part on your BR, so listen very carefully (or... read.) Astrals, unfortunately, are tough little critters to pick, and can leave you bankrupt if luck isn't on your side. So, which ones do you pick, and which ones do you dispose of? Well, they are listed below: MATK - Magical attack. (Mysticality) MDEF - Magical defense. (Willpower) As soon as you reach level 30, you'll have an extra slot avalible for a new astral. Hooray! Now, it's up to you what astral you decide to put in, though I would focus on the following: HP - Health Points. (Brilliance). PDEF - Physical defense. (Fortitude). Anyway, when you reach level 40, you'll be able to add in ANOTHER astral, so it's not a big loss if you don't add in one of the above, because you can always do it later. Edit: Never, ever 'use the Brilliance astral until you reach Level 60. That astral that should be in place is goddess blessing (orange preferred) as it reduces a % dmg that comes very handy down the road compared to Aegis. The gains you can get from HP gems are simply much better at a smaller cost. From Level 20-40, you should utilise the Mysticality Astral, the Fortitude Astral, and the Willpower Astral and Refined Goddess Blessing Astral. I will not go into detail about how to obtain Purple, Orange, or Red astrals, or whether to upgrade first as that is largely a personal decision. You may also find extensive Astral guides online. I will say this however: it is best to upgrade astrals to PURPLEs asap. At that point, Guild Skills become cheaper than the cost of upgrading, and thus you should focus on them. You will then alternate between the two, moving to the cheaper mode of raising BR. Mage Skill Build: Decide whether you are a support/healer mage or an attacker mage. Then based on what type you are, follow the appropriate skill tree. You should however, put priority on Lighting Bolt and Rain of Fire. Once RoF reaches level 4, you will see a large increase in power. It is also important to level up Mana Master to 10% and Restoration at least once, as they will be your best friends in the Battleground. Damnation is best saved for higher level players. Edit: A supporter/healer mage build is more recommended as you also do as much AoE damage in Arena and battleground. This is a result of RoF (lvl 4) and meteor (lvl 2) and the goal is to get blessed light (which heals all allies with about 35-40% instant HP), but focusing skill points unto the higher tier skills (damnation, thunderer) after hero reaches lvl 50. Note that castinator does not need to be fully maxed yet, as rage reduction also comes from rings set exchanged crypt shop. Thus, to increase the matk dealt, it would be advisable to increase skill point of first 2 highly used skills (lightning and RoF) first. Below is an example of the skill set used for different scenarios: MP dungeons, crypts, arena, battleground: lightning (lvl 4), RoF (lvl 4), meteor (lvl 2), suntora (lvl 1), restoration (lvl 2) --> AoE dmg to kill and clear as much damage to all opponents and troops as possible (ultimate AoE skill combo: RoF > meteor > RoF). --> make use of chaos / healing / brutality runes situationally World Boss, wilds boss, crypt boss: lightning (lvl 4), RoF (lvl 4), skill 3* , suntora (lvl 1), restoration (lvl 2) --> thunderer is single targetted, long delay casting spell but definitely deals a wholesome amount of damage, thus most appropriate here. skill 3*: this can be either thunderer or purification, it's very situational. At times, purification is more important to remove bleed inflicted from boss that could result in loss of 1-2k Hp each turn!!.. in such situations, it is also good to bring a rage rune to ensure sufficient rage for heals as well. Thunderer is preferred for crypt boss as suntora suffice. World Boss Mages are awesome at doing AoE dmg on multiple targets, but their fallback is doing maximum damage to world boss. Those positions are left for archers that deal more damage with critical shots than other 2 classes. However, this does not mean a mage cannot achieve top 10 in list. The first thing you wanna do is to increase your troop endurance and power to survive at least 1 normal hit from world boss. When this is possible, then focus on maximising your hero MATK by swapping defense astrals (willpower and fortitude) with critical astrals (determination and sniper edge) - preferably orange astrals lvl 4 each to greatly improve the normal rate with critical damage, and swapping astrals back when world boss ends. Also, by having your troops in front, it is easier to achieve double attack performed at timely intervals: as soon as mage hero casts fireball, quickly select/tap on lightning / rain of fire (RoF). Thunderer will not work with auto attack due to its long casting time, thus it should normally be used as the first skill only when start combat with world boss. Make use of chaos and brutality rune for additional damage dealt to world boss. Mounts As soon as you reach level 40, you get what is otherwise known as a 'free' mount, you can sit back and say "Whoo! All that hard work! Oh, look! A Mount!" Mounts also add to your BR. When you first get a mount (White Battle Steed. It's cute, okay?) you'll have to upgrade its attributes. But don't worry. These attributes add to your BR, increasing it that much more! But, as a mage, there are a couple of attributes you should focus on, and others you shouldn't: Intellect - MATK + MDEF. (Yes. Focus on that. A lot, you hear?) Endurance - HP. (Of course. I don't need to explain why. All you need to know is this: Avoiding death). Armor - MDEF + PDEF. (This why you'll be able to compete with Knights and Archers without getting your backside stabbed at. Whoo!) Strength is the last attribute, but you don't need to focus on that as much. That's a PATK and PDEF thing. You don't want that because you're a magic user, silly. Though let's be honest, the PDEF could come in handy. But you don't need the whole wibbly-wobbly PATK now do you? You can upgrade your Mount using Mount Training Whips, which you can get in a number of ways: *'Through Guild Blessing *'Through Amethyst Mine' - Exchange 1800 Amethyst for a pack of 30x Mount Training Whips. (That's a pretty good price if you're an active player, and can get into the Mine everyday. 200 Amethyst times...Actually, you do the math. Edit: Mounts are no small matter. The person with the most mounts is most often the strongest player on the server. Each mount gives a certain boost to stats, and mount bonuses stack. That is, if you have the White Battle Steed (+10) and the Panda Guardian (+20), you now have a +30 bonus. There are several free mounts you may obtain, and if you a non-casher, it is necessary that you get them asap. Here is another reason you may want to camp at level 45- once you reach level 38, the Tower of Kings will open up. Every day, just for participating you get a minimum of x10 Shadow Souls. 800 Shadow Souls give you a free +30 mount. You may also want to shoot for the Royal Steed, which is a +40 mount and costs 10,000 Insignia to purchase, as well as the Crusader title. The Hurricane Steed and the Darknite steed will be unavailable to you until you become much stronger, and thus will not be covered. Then there is the Ancient Snipe. Here you must make a decision: whether to go for the Ancient Snipe mount or use your amethyst on whips. Know this however: at some point or another, you will have to obtain the Ancient Snipe, a +40 mount. It costs 20,000 amethyst. If you can make Double Drop time every day, it will take 50 days to obtain it. SummaryCategory:Strategy Guides If you don't have time to read all there is above. I'll sum it up here: Increase battle rating (priority): - Astrals (requires alot of gold, settings to sell green and grey astrals away, only use blue ones to upgrade exp) - Guild skills (intellect, defense, endurance, charisma, gold; 1million gold donated = 1k contributions) - Socket Gems (matk, pdef, Hp) + soul engrave (soul crystals) - Cards hunt (requires gold, daru, kyanite) - Mount training (intellect, defense, endurance; source of mount whips - amethyst exchange, wilds shop, jewel hunt, guild battle rewards / treasure *if you're favoured by the guild master :P) - Mounts obtainable (amethyst - ancient snipe, Tower Kings - netherwing, battleground / arena - hurricane steed) - PvE set outclass PvP set, if made legendary with greater enchant level (recommendation: lvl 45 pvp set first and move to lvl 50 pve set --> sylphs and talents changes the whole gameplay, so it is good to have a legendary set then) - Clothes lvl 2 (use fashion cores and combine them with lvl 1 clothes / wings in clothing synthesis) should give you enough rage to cast RoF spells - Upgrade troops (requires millions of daru; mp dungeon tombs, farm daru seeds and tree ancients are the best source of daru you can find) Skill build (healer; hero < lvl 50): lightning (lvl 4), Rain of Fire (lvl 4), meteor (lvl 2), restoration (lvl 2), suntora (lvl 1) Skill build (attacker; hero > lvl 50): lightning bolt (lvl 4), Rain of Fire (lvl 4), thunderer (lvl 2), suntora (lvl 1 or 2), blessed light (lvl 1) World Boss -> go all out for crits (substituted from defense astral) PvP, dungeons -> heals and AoE damage skills